Go: Is the portable old man the nine-time champion?

Chapter 228 A heavy rain ruined my dream of five victories
"If you calculate it this way, the bonus will barely cover the down payment for the big villa, but you still need to save up some more. Even if you pay it off in one lump sum, you might not have enough money to pay the loan. Besides, it seems like you're not old enough to get a loan."

"The task is arduous and the road ahead is long; why are housing prices so expensive in every world?"

After doing a quick calculation, Old Ke couldn't help but shake his head. Yi Zheng seemed to have made a lot of money, but compared to the high-end housing prices in the capital, it was still a drop in the ocean.

I can afford to buy one, but only a small house, and even that probably wouldn't be enough to pay in full, so I'd have to take out a loan.

The distance to the target villa is even greater.

Excluding the suburbs, most villas in the capital cost tens of millions of yuan, and even those are considered low-end. The truly expensive ones are outrageously expensive, even making one question the meaning of life.

This doesn't even include the renovation. Renovating a villa is a huge expense, costing much more than other houses. A slightly better renovation can easily cost millions, and that might even be just a basic renovation.

After all, home renovation is a bottomless pit; you can spend as much money as you want, and some renovations even cost more than the house price.

And it seems that Yi Zheng is still a minor, so he can't get a loan?

Thinking of this, Old Ke couldn't help but shake his head: "The house purchase is not yet successful, Yi Zheng still needs to work hard."

Buying a large villa in the capital is a long and arduous journey! My own big villa is in the suburbs.

Yi Zheng nodded upon hearing this. With his current income and savings, buying that kind of house was simply a pipe dream.

Not to mention that these days, the more money you earn, the more money you spend. Once you have more money, you can't help but upgrade your consumption.

It's incredibly difficult to find someone who can truly earn money, endure hardship for even a day, and still save it.

In a way, it's like depriving you of a positive feedback loop, which can make you feel even more miserable.

Yi Zheng is clearly not that kind of person. He's the kind of person who lives for the moment and doesn't believe in the idea of ​​eating fruit that's about to spoil. He believes in eating fresh fruit first and letting the ones that are about to spoil rot.

What's the point of making money if you don't spend it? Although Yi Zheng is a bit of an ascetic when it comes to Go, it doesn't mean that he doesn't enjoy the things he can enjoy.

If you have money but don't spend it, just save it to have children, wouldn't that make you a miser?

"There's another interview coming up. Ethan seems to be being interviewed by his local media, but I can't understand what they're saying."

Yi Zheng sat in a chair watching a white reporter interview Ethan not far away. Both of them were clearly speaking English, which Yi Zheng could barely understand.

Yi Zheng's current English level is still at the level of "How are you?", "I'm fine, thank you?", and "you?".

Old Ke wasn't much better off; he might not even be able to understand the spoken language of someone like Chuanzi, let alone others.

Meanwhile, Ethan was explaining that he had no responsibility for the match and that it was all an accident: "I planned to beat five people in one go from the beginning. I told everyone that I would beat five people in one go. Isn't that bold!"

Everyone, including the coach and the fans, was very excited. It was a five-in-a-row victory, which was incredibly exciting and daring!

But I couldn't do it today. The real reason is that the off-field factors had too much influence. The competition conditions in China were really bad. It's been raining for the past few days, which made me catch a cold. In particular, the hotel bed was not good, which also caused me to not sleep well.

Various factors led to my poor performance today, resulting in the loss in the match. I can only say that if the match had been held in América, this would not have happened, and I would not have lost today.

There are serious problems with this venue, and I sincerely hope they can be resolved quickly so they don't continue to affect my performance.

Ethan's excuse can be summed up as follows: a heavy rain ruined my dream of winning, and a pea ruined my good sleep.

Sigh, I've been tricked by capital again today!
Although the excuse sounds lame, many people would actually believe it when Ethan said it, especially chess fans in America, and even from other countries.

One reason is that Ethan's strength and status seem to be superior to Yi Zheng's, so people are willing to believe that there are objective reasons for Ethan's defeat. Another reason is that Ethan is ranked among the top five in the world and is almost number one in America, so many people believe what he says.

Of course, it's okay to make excuses after losing once in a while, but if you keep doing it, it will annoy people.

There are always excuses for losing, as if you can't accept defeat.

The reporter interviewing Yi Zheng arrived at the scene quickly. The reporter seemed a little excited: "Hello, Mr. Yi Zheng, congratulations on winning the World Go Tournament Junior Group Championship. Congratulations on achieving such an unprecedented feat of defeating two teams by yourself. Do you have anything to say about this?"

"I'm very happy. Before the match, I said I wanted to take on ten people by myself, and many people online didn't believe it, but I've done it now."

I wonder what these people will say now? Will they shout again?

As Yi Zheng spoke, he pointed directly at the camera, seemingly with a hint of provocation.

Yi Zheng had never actually been in the habit of reading these comments. After all, what others said didn't concern him. Out of sight, out of mind. No matter how much the dogs barked outside, he didn't care because he couldn't hear it.

But Old Ke really loved visiting latrines; he'd go to both dry toilets and public toilets, and the comments he made in some places went beyond just being foul-smelling! Yi Zheng even wondered if the person posting these messages was human or a humanoid creature!

It's fair to say that Yi Zheng frequently encounters Hong Wen's posts, as many of them relate to him. Sometimes, he doesn't even need Ke Lao to say anything; he'll immediately engage in online arguments.
Mr. Ke said that you should read more of these kinds of trashy posts to toughen up your mentality! He also said that that's how he trained himself back then.

The reporter was surprised by Yi Zheng's youthful spirit: "You were undefeated in the previous two stages, but in the last stage you are facing Ethan 9-dan from Amelica. His rating is currently ranked fifth in the world. Are you confident that you can win before the match?"

Yi Zheng nodded calmly upon hearing this: "Of course. No matter who you are facing, you must have confidence. If you don't fight with the attitude of wanting to win, there is no point in playing this game. As a chess player, you must have the confidence and desire to win no matter who you are facing."

"In this game, you also reversed the situation against Ethan 9-dan. Including some of your games against professional 9-dan players, you were often in a very disadvantageous position, but you fought hard to create an opportunity and finally won."

Do you consider yourself the type of player who makes a comeback from behind? Is this part of your style? Do you personally enjoy the thrill of turning the tide in such situations?

Upon hearing this, Yi Zheng shook his head and sighed: "Actually, I can only say that my current strength and skills are still a bit lacking compared to those of a ninth-dan player. I would prefer to defeat them completely from start to finish."

I've never enjoyed turning the tide against all odds; I just don't want to lose! But if I do lose, I don't want to make excuses; essentially, it's just that I'm not as skilled as my opponent.

"So what are your goals for the next competition?"

"I hope to enter the age-restricted group next year and achieve the same results as this year."

The reporter was slightly surprised by this: "Your current age group can still participate for about three more years, right? And even if you apply for the group with no age limit, you might not be selected."

If Yi Zheng signs up for the junior group selection, he will definitely be selected, and since Ethan will not be able to participate next year, Yi Zheng will definitely achieve good results.

However, if you participate in the age-restricted group, especially in Asia where there are five participants, it becomes very difficult!

Yi Zheng might not even be able to pass the selection process normally, and he might not be able to participate in the junior group competition, because each person can only register for the selection of one group.

Yi Zheng shook his head slightly: "I don't like staying in my comfort zone. I will always strive for higher goals, because only in this way can I become the world's number one."

The reporter felt something was off when he heard this. Yi Zheng seemed to mention one person in every sentence, even though he didn't mention any person at all.

On the other side, Ethan saw Yi Zheng's interview online that night and was so angry that he smashed his phone on the ground.

"I'm going to sue him for defamation! He's defaming me!"

(End of this chapter)